TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — KMT chair candidate Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) on Wednesday vowed to be an “action-oriented” leader during her campaign rally in Kaohsiung, CNA reported.

If elected, Cheng said, she will not stay in her Taipei office every day but will base herself in the south. She said she will focus on southern Taiwan to break the region’s long-standing DPP dominance.

Cheng started her campaign on Wednesday at the Labor Recreation Center in Tainan, where she met with party members. She wanted to understand the party's challenges in Tainan and what kind of leadership the city needs, per CNA.

KMT must show new energy by letting the mid-generation take the lead, Cheng said. She said the party has to present a new image that earns public trust.

She added that the next three years will be crucial for peace across the Taiwan Strait. She claimed only the KMT can restore stability and prosperity.

The KMT last won the Tainan mayoral election in 1989 under Shih Chih-ming (施治明), who served until 1997. The DPP has controlled Tainan since then. Kaohsiung has also remained under DPP governance following the recall of then-Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) in 2020.